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Waking up is hard to do, but it's easier with NPR's Morning Edition. Hosts Renée Montagne and Steve Inskeep present the day's stories and news to radio listeners on the go. While they are out traveling, David Greene can be heard as regular substitute host. Matt McCleskey and the WAMU news team bring the latest news from the Washington Metro area. Jerry Edwards keeps an eye on the daily commute. Morning Edition provides news in context, airs thoughtful ideas and commentary, and reviews important new music, books, and events in the arts. All with voices and sounds that invite listeners to experience the stories.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Pardit Pri left her job as a legal assistant when she had a baby. She thought she'd be able to find a new job with health insurance, but so far has only found contract work with no benefits. She's not sure if her state's new health exchange will make sense for her, given her uncertain income.

As the leader of Senate Democrats, Harry Reid has been in a lot of fights — but this one may be different, in that Reid has drawn a line. After a meeting with other congressional leaders and President Obama on Wednesday, Reid said: "The one thing we made very clear ... we are locked in tight on Obamacare."

Matt Haimovitz is 42 and a world-renowned cellist. His mother took him to many concerts as a kid, but nothing in his family history explains where he got his extraordinary talent. And that's typical, says Ellen Winner, a psychology professor at Boston College who has spent much of her career studying prodigies.

Nationwide, many cash-strapped cities have raided funds intended for retirees or have chronically underfunded their pension systems. But despite a budget crunch, Milwaukee's fund has consistently ranked among the nation's top pension programs. Even so, some changes lie ahead for city workers.

Small businesses can now buy health insurance tailored for their needs on marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. But it's not clear how much relief the exchanges will offer from high prices that are a longstanding problem for small business. And they will almost certainly require more paperwork.

The Egyptian military operation to destroy most of the tunnels used to smuggle goods into neighboring Gaza has led to a shortage of cheap fuel and building materials. It also has led to more sewage flowing into the sea. Change is afoot, however, for the first time in six years.

From Acadia in Maine to Zion in Utah to the North Cascades in Washington, America's 401 national park areas have gates blocking entrance roads. National forest and Bureau of Land Management lands would nearly be impossible to close because there are so many access points.

The oil giant has won a partial victory after a U.S. appeals court halted some payments related to the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It is a key win for BP which had complained that the payout formula was too generous, and compensated people that were not harmed. Billions of dollars in claims were filed by businesses and individuals in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Ten years of peace in Liberia has created opportunities for education and entrepreneurs. But challenges remain, including no electricity, widespread corruption and weak infrastructure. Twenty-four-year-old Pandora Hodge is a budding restaurateur and art theater owner trying to make it in Liberia.

Intelligence chiefs said recent media reports are wrong about their efforts to gather information about the social networks of Americans. They told a Senate panel such efforts are focused on foreigners. But NSA chief Keith Alexander admitted the agency has collected cellphone location information, as part of a short-lived test program years ago.

The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland is often the last resort for patients who have mysterious, rare or terminal diseases. Patients sometimes call it the "House of Hope." But the government shutdown may mean that prospective patients will be turned away.

Central Falls, a former mill city in Rhode Island, has turned to the Internet for donations to fund a government project.The new mayor wants to update the local park with steel trash cans and recycling bins. So far citizens have committed $390 to the project — the goal is more than $10,000.

Payment of veterans' benefits is one of the most emotionally charged issues affected by the shutdown. Politicians of both parties have scrambled to show their support for vets. While the most serious consequences won't come unless the shutdown lasts for weeks, veterans applying for new benefits may already be suffering because of a backlog of claims.

Best-selling author Tom Clancy wrote iconic thrillers like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. His books were turned into Hollywood blockbusters and popular video games. Clancy died on Tuesday.

After 16 years at Louis Vuitton, Mark Jacobs is expected to focus on an eventual IPO for his own brand, which could come within three years. Investors are interested, partly because the designer Michael Kors had a public offering in 2011, and since then shares have tripled in value.

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